everytime i hear iPad, it sounds so wrong. you would think that the name would have been better? anyway, i am not completely sold with this.. i think i'll wait for a better(?) tablet pc.

The problem with tablet PCs are they are PCs. You're getting a full blown Windows OS, with all its problems and issues. Apple has made it simple. You don't need a full blown OS in this type of application. M$ has never learned this lesson and its the reason why tablets never sold well, Win Mobile is a joke and Apple sold iphones hand over fist.

Just got my daughter a Macbook Pro for college today. My son got one last summer. I give credit where credit is due and the Apple laptops are a class act. I don't think the iPad is a fully developed product and the true cost once all the extra junk it will require is known will drive people to buy some of the faster Netbooks. This is another attempt at an email applicance (remember those?) and it likely will fail due to not being able to run MS Office.

Just got my daughter a Macbook Pro for college today. My son got one last summer. I give credit where credit is due and the Apple laptops are a class act. I don't think the iPad is a fully developed product and the true cost once all the extra junk it will require is known will drive people to buy some of the faster Netbooks. This is another attempt at an email applicance (remember those?) and it likely will fail due to not being able to run MS Office.

Don't count on that. Apple knows marketing better then anyone else. The iphone was bashed when it came out as well with many predicting its early death. And who says it won't be able to run Office.

First, I would not expect Microsoft to port their Mac Office suite to the iPad, but I suppose it's possible no matter how remote the chance. That said, though, I do expect DataViz to re-write DTG for the iPad, and iWork on the iPad will edit Microsoft Office files. So having your Office files on the iPad so you can work on them when away from your desk is a reality.

One thing to consider is the idea that the iPad is not finished, and will only be finished when iPhone OS 4 is announced. The speculation is that Apple didn't show off the full features of the iPad because they weren't prepared to discuss OS 4. We'll find out in a few months if this is accurate or not.

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Ian

Semper Fi 3/2/2"Wow" is now overused. Therefore, I will use "Magic bananas" instead.

So the iPhone didn't have enough sales for Microsoft to take notice and develop for it? Sure. I'll stick to my belief that Microsoft won't be coding Office for the iPad any quicker than they have coded Office for the iPhone. To date, Microsoft has only coded and released the following for the iPhone:

I'll stick to my belief that Microsoft won't be coding Office for the iPad any quicker than they have coded Office for the iPhone.

While you are comparing the iPad to the iPhone, others will compare the iPad to a traditional tablet PC or even a netbook.
Microsoft already has Office for Mac OSX, and it's not beyond the realm of possibility that they'll port it the iPad depending on its acceptance.

The iPad or what ever tablet that is released that is dependent on wireless connection for functionality will be the excuse for at&t and the other carriers to implement "metered data billing" due to bankwidth constrants. This could be the device that killed the goose that lays the golden eggs.

There is also the possiblity that distributed private Wi-Fi systems will be installed for use by corporations to bypass the likely bandwidth issues with the major carriers. What does this mean? The cost of consumer phone service may not be subsidized by corporations in the future.

While you are comparing the iPad to the iPhone, others will compare the iPad to a traditional tablet PC or even a netbook.
Microsoft already has Office for Mac OSX, and it's not beyond the realm of possibility that they'll port it the iPad depending on its acceptance.

Fair enough, and looking at it like that makes a bit more sense, but I still believe that for Microsoft to ignore the iPhone means that they will likely ignore the iPad. I expect the iPad to sell well, but I'll be amazed if it sells better than the iPhone. So my thinking is that if the huge sales of the iPhone didn't convince Microsoft to care, then the sales of the iPad won't either. But, who really knows for sure other than Microsoft.

What you said has me sitting back a minute and thinking, though... you're right: people will probably compare the iPad to a Tablet PC or netbook. Is that going to hurt the iPad in the short term? When people realize that it's like a Tablet PC only in design (generally speaking) but unlike a Tablet PC in that it won't run desktop software, will people be put off?

I can actually see people going into the Apple store, picking up the iPad, playing with it, and then asking "so I can run my desktop software on this, right?" With its size, will people more likely assume it's a big iPhone or a keyboard-less laptop?

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Ian

Semper Fi 3/2/2"Wow" is now overused. Therefore, I will use "Magic bananas" instead.

The problem with tablet PCs are they are PCs. You're getting a full blown Windows OS, with all its problems and issues. Apple has made it simple. You don't need a full blown OS in this type of application. M$ has never learned this lesson and its the reason why tablets never sold well, Win Mobile is a joke and Apple sold iphones hand over fist.

Don't get me wrong.. i'm pretty sure with the way the iPhone sold.. the iPad will be a rage. i'm a little skeptical, maybe over time i would definitely get one for myself. a friend of mine had a Tablet PC and she was quite happy with it. maybe because she never had a Mac or used anything BUT Micro$oft. i had a play around with it, it was alright, but yes, i never thought of it in the sense that it's a full blown PC.. heh. silly me.

The iPad will sell because of hype and advertising, not because it's high tech (it isn't). No multitasking, no camera/video and not that much memory (64GB) for $700 is no bargain. The new Lenovo will be $1000 and will be a laptop with removeable tablet portion, so the best of both, with gobs or memory and features. The iPad will be pitched to people who aren't too sophisticated tech-wise, and who want something simple to use that will easily show the little darling's pictures to folks, and let them see downloaded movies and read their book when they're in a hotel or at the pool in Scottsdale. No business user will go anywhere near it. I have nothing against this concept. I have an iTouch myself that I rarely ever use that was a gift from my wife. I have a bunch of movies on it I rarely watch, I deleted the email (why get it in 4 places?) and use my trusty iPod 5G in my car and at home for music. I wipe the dust off the screen once a week and charge it. Same will happen with the MaxiPad.

The lowest model MacBook Air is $1500. The highest model iPad is $829.
The smallest difference in price is about $700, so I'd say that's still more than "a bit".

That's a fair point; it is more than "a bit." At the same time you're getting quite a bit more machine, with many of the features that people are questioning because the iPad is missing those features.